Pre-terminated copper or fiber cable cassettes provide quick and reliable installation of cables to patch panels. The pre-terminated cassettes are assembled according to the customer's specifications prior to shipment. The performance of the cassettes is also verified before shipped to the customer. Therefore, customers installing new data centers or changing existing ones may use pre-terminated cassettes to help minimize data center downtime that is generally associated with in-site cable terminations, testing and installation.
Prior pre-terminated cassettes include a latch or slide arm located on the top of the cassette. Once these cassettes are installed in patch panels, it is often difficult to remove the cassette because the latch is not easily accessible. When a plurality of cassettes are installed in the patch panels in a data center, it is difficult to disengage the latch and remove the pre-terminated cassette because the customer is required to reach between rows of cables to disengage the latch. Thus, there is a need for a pre-terminated cassette having a release mechanism that is easily accessible and facilitates its removal from a patch panel.